


Some Nights

by ArtificialCherryBomb



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X, Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Bass is best mom, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Robots start out small, X is a sweetheart, Zero is not, Zero loves his older brother though, baby robots, bass cries a little, everyone is lowkey gay, the Light brothers, the Wily brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 19:10:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10394133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtificialCherryBomb/pseuds/ArtificialCherryBomb
Summary: Bass didn't need help taking care of his little brother Zero. He could handle every challenge the little red demon threw his way. But some nights, he needed someone who made him feel like he was doing the right thing. Some nights, he found himself in the Light household.





	

Rock tapped a finger against his knee impatiently, his eyes dodging to the grandfather clock that ticked away in the living room every few seconds. He had been planted on the couch for thirty minutes now, staring at his phone intently. It had been a normal night until he received a rather alarming text, from Bass of all people. He didn't remember giving him his number...

'Zero's sick. Wily's fucking useless. I'm coming over.'

'Okay.' Rock would never refuse. No matter who it was that asked.

That had been over an hour ago though, and no matter how many times he texted the eldest Wily bot, he never got a response. The storm outside was raging, and he could hear Rush whimper in the next room from the thunder. God, he really hoped Bass wasn't dumb enough to fly in this weather, especially with an infant...

"Rock...?"

He blinked, looking down at his little companion who sat bundled up in numerous blankets on the floor. X had been coloring quietly ever since Rock stole him from his room, not once crying or complaining or even asking why they were down here. He was a blessing. 'The exact opposite of Zero,' Bass had once chided out of jealousy, squinting. 'Why is it you Light bots always have it easy?'.

"What is it X?" Rock smiled tiredly, still glancing at the clock as he forced himself to relax. No use worrying the tiny Light robot, though perhaps it was too late for that.

"Are Zero and Mr. Bass almost here?" He asked softly, his green eyes wide with curiosity, and Rock paused. Had he told him? He didn't remember. The elder of the two smiled, moving to sit on the blanket with him. 

"What made you think they were coming?" He ruffled the kid's fluffy brown hair gently, lifting up his coloring book to admire his work. The kid wasn't half-bad, considering.

"The blankets. You set them up like one big bed," the kid began, clearly too smart for his three-years-old toddler body. "You also had Roll make a bunch cookies before she left... and you've been looking at the clock for an hour."

Mind you, his speech itself wasn't near perfect, and he'd say things like 'Rawl' instead of 'Roll', or even 'Rawk' instead of 'Rock'. The only people who's names he could say correctly were Light's and, shockingly, Zero's. For his age, though, it was impressive, not to mention undeniably adorable.

"Hey, that's pretty good..." Rock nodded, resting his head in his hand, looking down at X in amusement. "You can read me like a book. Dad was right when he said you'd have superior processing equipment..."

X giggled, standing up shakily. He hugged his older brother's arm, pressing a chubby cheek against his shoulder, his big green eyes shiny. Rock nearly died, the kid was so cute.

Then came a loud thumping on the door, hard enough that it nearly broke it down. The Wily bots flinched as Rush came running into the room, barking in alarm at the sudden noise. X sat back down, a cute little frown settling on his face as Rock ran to the door, opening it. 

He yelped when he was shoved aside by an angry, soaked Bass. Water splashed everywhere as he trudged inside, Treble right at his heels. A screaming and struggling bundle of leather jacket was held against Bass' chest, sounding like a feral animal. 

"What are you doing on the floor?! Take him, please! Take him away from me!" Rock found himself with an armful of raging, sick Zero. Who knew the kid could get any worse? "Where's your bathroom?"

"W-Wait, hold on..." Rock stood carefully, finally noticing the tears of frustration pouring down his friend's cheeks, taken aback. He's never seen him cry, not once... "Go through th-that door..."

Bass left him without another word, slamming the bathroom door shut behind him as Treble sat outside, standing guard. 

"Rraawrr!! Aaah!!" Zero screeched, and finally he was able to get his head out at least. His disheveled and unkept hair blocked his vision, and he started hitting Megaman with his tiny fists of fury.

"O-Ow! Hey! Stop it!" Rock squeaked, grabbing the towel he had left on the armchair earlier. He dropped the jacket entirely, wrestling to keep Zero in his hold, trying to dry him off as best as he could. It was a losing battle, and he had to settle the insane little robot on the floor, hoping it'd be easier.

"Leg go! Leg go leg go leg GO!!" The blond screamed, baring his sharp teeth as Rock dried his arms. He bit him, hard.

"OW!" Megaman cried out in pain, withdrawing his hand. His eye twitched at the sight of blood, and he sighed when Zero ran away at a blinding speed, trying to shove himself under the couch.

"Zero Albert Wily! You stop that right now!" Rock demanded, pity in his eyes. "You're going to get sick! Then you can't play, or have any of Roll's cookies! I know you like those!"

He didn't seem to care. He somehow was able to wedge himself beneath the sofa, his wet socks being the last sign of him. The Light bot shook his head, debating on how to go about this. He didn't want to hurt the rascal. Maybe he could coax him out...?

"...Zero...?" X had been quietly watching this whole time, tears of fright in his eyes but they hadn't fallen yet. The small little robot crawled forward, peering under the couch with a smile. "Zero, it's me, X. Are you hungry...? Do you want my coloring book?" He reached a hand beneath the couch, beckoning the other closer.

It was a miracle. As soon as he spoke did the hissing and screaming cease, and Rock could make out Zero's tiny hand go to X's, curiously touching him. Rock had to watch carefully, of course, because who knew what Wily's youngest son would do. There was no denying, however, the effect that X had over him...

"Zero, you little shit! Get out from under there!" Bass suddenly burst out of the bathroom, no longer crying but looking incredibly pissed. Zero said something unintelligible right back, growling like a dog. He still held X's hand.

"Don't you speak that way to me! You're taking a bath right now! You have so much crap in your hair I can smell it from here!" Bass lifted the couch with one arm, startling both infants, reaching a hand out towards his baby brother. The kid cried, suddenly jumping onto X and hugging him, shaking.

"Woah Bass! Put my couch down please..." Rock raised his hands slowly, grabbing Bass' wrist and forcing it away from his brother. "Just...calm down. Look, he's not running around like a maniac anymore. Let's try to reason with him."

"Reason?! Tsk, ugh, bitch!" Bass set the couch down with a loud thump, outraged. "I'd like to see you try! You know how many trees I flew into because of him! I told him if he was good he'd get to see X, but does he care?! Noooo! I should've dumped him in the nearest lake when I had the chance-!"

"BASS!" Rock snapped, causing the darker robot to wince. "No swearing in this house! How do you think he'll behave if you're yelling at him all the time?!" His outburst startled him, and the Wily bot suddenly felt small.

"I...I don't..." Bass brought a hand to his temples, rubbing them with a sigh. Today was not his day. He needed to relax.

Zero began to wail suddenly, still holding onto X tightly for comfort. The little blue robot blinked, petting his hair and patting his back, mimicking what his family did whenever he was upset. That didn't seem to work. 

"C'mon Zero, bath time," Bass muttered, the fire having burned out as soon as Rock raised his voice at him. Very carefully he lifted both of the toddlers in his arms, knowing that separating them now would be a bad thing. Rock was about to follow until Bass shook his head, wishing to do this alone. Perhaps he wanted to prove that he could handle the both of them.

Rock knew it would take a while, so he set off to work immediately. He straightened out the furniture, brought the wet jacket and towel to the laundry room to be dried, left two pairs of pajamas on the floor beside Bass in the bathroom, one red and one blue. Then he fixed the blankets, bringing down some of X's stuffed animals and toys for them to play with, as well as Roll's hairbrush and a blue ribbon. He even broke into Blues' room to get Bass some warm clothes (he could deal with Protoman later).

He sat back down on the couch, looking over his shoulder every so often to check on Bass. There wasn't any screaming, but he could faintly hear X speaking gently to Zero, keeping him calm. Rock couldn't help but smile, deciding to finally let himself relax.

It took about fifteen minutes for Bass to get the two kids cleaned up, and he led his brother by the hand out the door, X by his other side. Zero sniffed, his cheeks red and his eyes puffy. He had to have the robot equivalent of a fever, and the storm that was still raging outside didn't help.

"I'm gonna get dressed, okay?" Bass told the tiny terror, nudging him forward towards Rock gently. "You be good to Mr. Rock, got it?"

"..." Zero fidgeted in his pj's, looking up at Megaman shyly. His big blue eyes were visible now, and he looked like he'd start screaming at any moment.

"Be nice, squirt," Bass placed a hand on the kid's head, and for once, he looked very... tired. "I'll be right back, I promise."

"Yeah! I'll even brush your hair for you, if you want!" Rock offered, sitting on the floor, patting his lap encouragingly. Zero shook his head, pouting, taking X's hand and pulling him toward the pile of toys. 

"I'll do it when I'm done," Bass took a withered breath, not waiting for Rock to ask him what was wrong. "I need a shower... I flew into the mud on the way here..."

"You flew?" Rock should've known. Despite the recklessness, Bass probably wanted to get here as soon as possible... but why on earth had he been crying?

The Wily bot waved him off, removing his helmet and leaving it on the coffee table. His own blond hair, usually slicked back and neat, was just as messy as Zero's. He disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Zero and X appeared on either side of Rock as soon as Bass was gone, staring at him with big eyes. 

"Coo, coo coo!!" Zero said expectantly, his tiny fists hitting Rock's arm lightly, a sharp contrast to his struggling earlier.

X giggled cutely. "He wants cookies," Then he paused, reconsidering. "...We both want cookies."

"Yeah?" Megaman smiled, looking at Zero carefully. "Did you eat dinner? I'm afraid you can't have dessert until you do."

Zero blinked dumbly, looking at Rock like he asked the most ridiculous of questions. 

"...Coo coo!" He demanded now, raising his fists, almost looking like a fighting stance. Rock raised his hands defensively, trying not to laugh. 

"Okay, okay..." He relented, grinning as he stood. "I'll get you some cookies. Don't tell Bass~" he winked playfully, leading them back to their toys before heading off towards the kitchen. The kids cheered, deciding to amuse themselves while he was away.

Once the cookies and milk had been distributed, Rock watched them. Zero was a little... rough, but X took it in stride. He'd play along with whatever his counterpart wanted, moving from blocks to toy soldiers to plush animals. Megaman didn't know how he did it. Zero was nearly impossible to understand, but X and Bass did it with such ease. He'd say it was due to spending so much time with him, but X had only met him twice before. It was so odd, the way they...clicked.

"Hey," Bass muttered, appearing next to Rock with a towel on his head, drying his hair with half-lidded eyes. He looked much better now, wearing Blues' cool and warm clothes. Much less exhausted then before. "How are they?"

"Good. I think they're playing cops and robbers?" The brunette laughed, leaning his back against the couch as he watched the two chase one another, wary whenever Zero tackled his kid brother to the ground. He was rough, but X was never hurt, always laughing instead. "It's hard to tell though. Maybe it's just tag."

"Hmm." Bass shrugged, resting the towel on his shoulders as he watched his brother too. "That's good. I have to fix that rats nest on his head though. He won't like it..." He spoke with the same experience of a parent, and perhaps he was the closest thing Zero had to one. Speaking of which...

"...So, what happened today?" The blue bomber asked softly, folding his hands on his lap, looking at the ceiling. Rush poked his head from behind the couch, trotting to lay beside his Master with a gentle bark. Treble took his place on the couch behind them, burying his nose in Bass' hair.

"...I...a lot..." The Wily bot rubbed the back of his neck, looking away to stare down at the floor, embarrassed. He hadn't meant to cry. He loathed showing any signs of weakness, especially to Megaman. But...when it came to Zero, he was horribly overwhelmed. 

"When I woke up this morning, Zero was sick," Bass began, speaking in hushed tones so the two kids wouldn't hear. "Like, really bad. Wily was supposed to be watching him, like any good father would, but when I got back home from getting him some more toys, because I just HAVE to spoil him, he was..." He shook his head, clearly pissed. "He hadn't been fed, he hadn't been changed..." He growled, his red eyes burning. "Wily hasn't fixed that either! He's old enough to control and utilize the amount of oil in his body, but he leaks! And my fuck- ...my father doesn't seem to care that he still needs to be changed. Or that he can't speak. Or that he's...like...like that!" Bass gestured to the way Zero sunk his teeth into a stuffed animal, growling at X playfully. The blue one was amused, but no one else was.

Bass rubbed his face, frowning deeply. "Zero was crying so much... and Wily wouldn't help him. I had to take him away..." He grimaced, turning to set his gaze on Rock. "He wouldn't stop fighting me. The kid can't even remember who I am sometimes... I can't help but feel like Wily might be doing this on purpose."

Megaman's mouth hung open in shock, unable to find the words. Bass looked like he'd cry again, but this time he pushed aside his emotions.

"It was hard getting here today. Harder than it was before. It was pouring, and he was screaming, and I was so mad I couldn't think straight." He fidgeted, looking over at Zero again, who was now holding X's hand and saying unintelligent things excitedly. "I want to kill Wily. I hate him. I hate him for making something that can't know right from wrong. I hate him for doing this to Zero. But... I think I hate myself, because I can't give my brother the care he needs..."

"No, you can't think that," Rock shook his head immediately, taking one of the Wily bot's hand in both of his, squeezing it tightly. "Bass, you did a good thing bringing him here today. I know it's hard at home, and you probably don't have many of the supplies required to take care of him. But... you're there for him. If he was alone, then...who knows what Wily would do to him?"

"But... I can't keep him here," Bass' hand was shaking, and he bit his lip as he looked away. "If he finds out I bring him here, he's gonna kill me, but Dr. Light is the only one who can save him." He looked pained, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "I'm...at a loss here..."

"I know it's hard. I can't think of anything to say that would make you feel better..." He spoke honestly, smiling sadly. "But... But you can't lose hope. You need to stay strong. For him." 

"I know... I know," Bass sighed, nodding his head slowly. "But...it's hard... I can't... I can't do this alone..."

"You're not alone! I can help you whenever you need it!" Rock smiled, only to blush nervously after a few seconds. "Uh... ehehe, I m-mean, we can all help... everyone would love to..."

Bass blinked, surprised by the other's face. He couldn't help but chuckle, before finally he laughed, a pleasant sound on a dreary night.

"Gee, take me out to dinner first," he jived. Rock's flustered behavior was... uplifting. "I'll...I'll try to take him here whenever I can, then. I think he likes it here anyways."

They both looked over to see Zero and X giggling sweetly, the red one squishing his best friend's face, giving him little kisses. The Light bot laughed, snuggling against him, grabbing his face to give him kisses too.

"...That's super gay," Rock muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"It is," Bass agreed with a shrug. "Must run in our families."

"Ye-wait, what was that?" 

"Zero, c'mere. Leave X alone for a moment." Bass ushered his brother towards him, smiling to himself. Zero stopped, looking at his brother in surprise. He blew a raspberry, but he did let X go to make his way towards his brother, falling to a crawl once he was in front of him.

"Ba ba!" The little red demon grinned, raising his hands up, wishing to be held.

"It's Bass, actually," he pulled him up, placing him on his lap. He held out Roll's brush for him to see, watching as his brother touched it curiously.

"You want me to make you look nice?" He asked the smaller Wily bot softly, and Rock couldn't help but smile. Zero did bring out a side of Bass that not many got to see. "I know you like looking nice..."

Zero looked up at him with big blue eyes, considering. Then he clapped his hands together, sitting down in front of Bass excitedly. X waddled over to Rock's lap, deciding to entertain himself by watching. 

Bass set to work, working as kindly as he could, not wishing to hurt his little brother. He had many knots in his hair, but soon enough it was straight, long enough to reach his shoulder blades. He then took that blue ribbon Rock had given him, very carefully tying his hair into a ponytail.

"...Heh," Rock tried to stifle his laughter.

"What?" Bass asked, focused on his work.

"You're pretty good at that. Seems like you've had a lot of practice~" He teased.

"Ah...yes..." Bass' purple cheeks grew a bit pink. "He... won't let me cut his stupid hair, so I've been learning how to put it up."

"I think it's pretty~" X chimed in, poking Zero's shoulder gently. The blond couldn't turn, but he smiled, clapping his hands again.

"Pweeeetty pweeeeetty!" Zero echoed, squirming.

"Hold on..." Bass murmured, fixing up his ponytail. When he was done he helped him stand, turning him around to see his handy work.

"Yay!" X cheered, crawling out of Rock's hold to stand with him, beaming. "Very pretty! You look so good!"

"...Th...Than....k you!" Zero tried, suddenly burying his face into X's chest, knocking them down. Rock laughed, his eyes moving to the clock.

"Alright, kiddos, time for bed!" Rock snickered, lifting them both into his arms. They squealed, laughing and holding onto each other as he shuffled over to the large pile of blankets and pillows, placing them upon it. Zero pouted once there, not wishing to sleep, but when Bass laid beside him, he happily touched his face.

"Ba ba!" He planted a kiss on his brother's nose, not remembering what happened earlier at all. Bass chuckled, knocking him down lightly on his backside.

"'Ba ba' wants to sleep. Say goodnight to Mr. Rock and X." He closed his eyes, smiling slightly.

"Night Rr...rrrrrrrra ra! X X X!!" He said his friend's name perfectly, giggling as he crawled toward him, hugging him. X gasped.

"You said my name!" The blue robot gushed, hugging Zero's head. "Very good!"

"Love you!" Zero squirmed, and their cuddles ensued.

Rock blinked as he settled in on the other side of them, giving Bass a curious look. "When did he learn that word?"

Bass opened his eyes, and his cheeks had that odd hue of pink again.

"...I don't know." He said after a minute or so, looking away.


End file.
